Sunday, March 20, 2011

The in-laws are out of town for a couple weeks and we are watching their place while they're gone. As a bonus, we have free access to their treadmill, stationary bike and this weird piece od exercise equipment that you sit on, pull back on the handlebars and push on the foot pads.

Anyway, we stopped over yesterday and I did an hour on the treadmill, at an incline on 9, and burned 500 calories. It felt really good.

I wish we had a treadmill. I hope to get one this year. Meanwhile, its getting much more tolerable outside for walking, so I won't feel so unmotivated to get out there.

Loss is very slow. I'm frustrated, but I just have to keep reminding myself that I've changed my habits, and that's the important part. The loss is still coming. I will get there.

Hubby has lost 20lbs too, and we are both feeling much better about it.

I took my physical for our healthcare on Friday. That went really well. I meet all the criteria for the lower cost benefits. Hubby takes his next week, and I'm sure he will meet them as well.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

I'm am swamped at work, with more to do than I have time to get done. Working a lot of late days, and spending most of my time either on my feet, running back and forth across my building, or up to my eyeballs in paperwork, with lots and lots of juggling!

Weight loss is crawling along. Looks like I'm losing a pound every couple weeks or so. But it is still going in the right direction.

This Friday, I have my apt with the doc for the insurance check in...to make sure my bp is good, my BMI is good and that I'm a non-smoker. I'm feeling pretty good about it. After my total loss to date of 22lbs, it puts me in the right brackets for not having my rates jacked up. My bp has always been good, and I don't smoke, so I'm clear there.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

I made this for dinner last night and really enjoyed it. The family liked it. I've just emailed Allan a copy of the recipe, to get his feedback.

I don't much care for the fact that Nutrition Data uses mixed units on their site (grams/ounces). That makes it confusing when trying to read the recipe, so here it is in all English units:

12 ounces of very lean sirloin, medalions if you can get them, otherwise cut into 4 ounce pieces resembling a hamburger patty.
One can of stewed tomatoes.
One small onion
One clove of garlic
2 cups fresh green beans
1-2 tsp Emeril's Original Essence
Salt & pepper to taste.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

After a couple days of weird stomach aches I decided to switch to drinking just juices and water for a couple days. The stomach seems to have settled down, I logged another pound lost, and yesterday I had a salad for lunch. No issues, so I call that a good sign.

I'm switching back to regular Phase 5 food today, although I have some of the juices left from the last couple days. I'll probably use the rest of the veggie juice in place of veggies and fruit juices in place of fruit.

Not much else to report. Going to do my mom's taxes today, and then go visit.

Friday, March 4, 2011

Oh yeah! It's from the daily email I get from Allan for being in the Phase 5 challenge.

I don't know about all of you, but that little email helps keep me going. I know the other day he was on the verge of stopping them, and then I read that there was some grumbling from the troups, so that must mean I'm not the only one that gets a boost from them. Yeah, I know....I may not check them daily. And especially last week, I hardly checked at all....due to the crap at work. But I just feel like those little notes of encouragement make me feel like I'm part of something bigger than my own little journey...like I'm part of a team.

Ya feel me?

:)

Anyway, I'm feeling better with the juice thing. Lost another pound this week, and the stomach seems to be settling down and not giving me such grief. I'm going to continue the juice for at least the rest of today, possibly tomorrow as well. Then Sunday I will be back on the Phase 5 diet plan.

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Thank you to Karen and Sandra for your concerns and suggestions. To elaborate just a bit, that feeling seems to move around, sometimes on the left and sometimes on the right, but always right along the bottom of my ribcage. Weird, huh?

Another thing that's going on is lots of people at work have been getting sick over the last several weeks. Something is going around and it seems to be making a rather slow circuit of it. One or two people at a time. I can't really say that I'm "sick", cus my discomfort is pretty isolated to evenings, after dinner.

Not sure what it is, so I've decided to just take it easy for the next two days. I went to the grocery store last night and bought juices for the next 2-3 days. I'm going to stick to an all-liquid diet, in small quantities, just to see if my stomach settles down. So here's the menu for 2-3 days: Absopure water and V8 & Bolthouse Farms juices.

The juices have a calories-per-serving amount that ranges from 70 to about 140. I'm sticking to 2-3 servings of the V8 (70 calories), and probably one serving each of the other juices. The vanilla chai is soy based, so it has lots of protein in it. The other two have lots of whole servings of fruit and vegetables in each bottle. Seems pretty healthy to me, and minimum stress on the tummy. Probably going to lay off the morning cup of coffee as well. I'm going to alternate throughout the day, with 17 ounces of water, followed by 8-12 ounces of juice, more water and so on.

Admittedly this is not the menu plan for Phase 5, but I've got to get this stomach thing under control, and if its a flu bug or something that I'm trying to fight off, maybe the juices will prevent me from really having problems.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

I think stress is getting to me or something. Food consumption has been fine, water is ok, but for the last 4-5 nights in a row, after dinner I've had a stomach ache. Not the "indigestion" type, rather a weird crampy pain right up under my rib cage.

Not sure what's going on, and it may be some kind of a bug, since everyone at work has been sick lately, but its unnerving.

Just trying to stay focused and not let the junk at work get too out of hand.

Weight Loss Goal: 40

What works, what doesn't

This blog is about my goal of regaining a healthier and more fit body and mind; its about what works and what doesn't.

There are millions of diet schemes and products, fitness devices and regimens. Most are of dubious value.

Here, I'll tell you about the approach I take, the items I try, and the results I get. I'll tell you what is easy, what's not feasible for me, and what I like and don't like, the struggles and the successes.

"Father Time is not always a hard parent, and, though he tarries for none of his children, often lays his hand lightly upon those who have used him well; making them old men and women inexorably enough, but leaving their hearts and spirits young and in full vigor. With such people the gray head is but the impression of the old fellow’s hand in giving them his blessing, and every wrinkle but a notch in the quiet calendar of a well-spent life. " Charles Dickens